COLLEGE WORLD SERIES AT A GLANCE

A capsule look at the eight-team field in the College World Series, in order of seeding:

Stanford

Record: 56-10

Coach: Mark Marquess, 14th year

Conference finish: First in the Pac-10 Southern Division

How got here: Won West I Regional

Ranking: First in Collegiate Baseball-ESPN and Baseball America polls

Comments: The Cardinal, which is making its sixth College World Series appearance in the past nine years, won national championships in 1987 and 1988. Stanford set school records this season for victories, doubles (160), home runs (90), total bases (1,231), strikeouts (475) and fielding percentage (.972) and had little trouble winning four regional games over Campbell (7-0), Middle Tennessee State (6-1) and San Diego State (6-2 and 6-2). Leadoff batter Jeff Hammonds, named freshman of the year by Collegiate Baseball magazine, leads the team with a .359 average and 46 stolen bases in 56 attempts. The Cardinal’s three top power hitters are Tim Griffin, who has 21 home runs, 20 doubles and 75 RBIs, Paul Carey, who has 15 home runs, 21 doubles and 49 RBIs, and David McCarty, who has 12 homers, 20 doubles and 67 RBIs. Troy Paulsen, a former La Quinta High School star, plays second base and is batting .337 with 27 doubles and 53 RBIs. The team’s top pitchers are junior right-handers Stan Spencer (14-1) and Mike Mussina (14-3).

Louisiana State

Record: 52-17

Coach: Skip Bertman, seventh year

Conference finish: First in the Southeastern

How got here: Won South I Regional

Ranking: Second by Baseball America, third by Collegiate Baseball-ESPN

Comments: The Tigers, who beat USC twice to win the regional title, have three solid starting pitchers in sophomore right-handers Chad Ogea (14-1, 3.30 earned-run average) and Paul Byrd (16-5, 3.59) and junior left-hander John O’Donoghue (11-3, 3.05). Senior left fielder Wes Grisham is the team’s top hitter with a .369 average, 11 home runs, 18 doubles and 70 RBIs. Junior third baseman Rich Cordani is batting .368 with nine homers, 23 doubles and 59 RBIs, and LSU has four other solid offensive players in designated hitter Lyle Mouton (.350, nine home runs), second baseman Tookie Johnson (.349, 55 RBIs), third baseman Keith Osik (.348, eight homers, 23 doubles, 64 RBIs) and right fielder Tim Clark (.327, 10 homers, 19 doubles, 58 RBIs). The Tigers have been to the College World Series four times in the past five years but have finished no higher than fourth. Bertman was the pitching coach for the 1988 Olympic team.

Oklahoma State

Record: 53-16

Coach: Gary Ward, 13th year

Conference finish: First in the Big Eight

How got here: Won West II Regional

Ranking: Second by Collegiate Baseball-ESPN, third by Baseball America

Comments: The Cowboys gained the College World Series berth by defeating Arizona State, 17-9 and 10-5, in the regional at Tempe, Ariz. Pitching has carried Oklahoma State, which has three starters with contrasting styles. Dennis Burbank, a junior right-hander from Valencia High School who has a 9-1 record and 3.18 ERA, is a finesse pitcher who throws a lot of breaking balls and off-speed pitches. Senior right-hander Gordie Tipton, who is 9-1 with a 2.45 ERA, is a side-arm pitcher who relies on a slider and changeup, and freshman right-hander Brad Gore, who is 4-2 with a 4.37 ERA, is a power pitcher. The Cowboys, making their eighth trip to Omaha in the past 10 years, have 10 players hitting better than .300, including Brian Kelly (.393), Danny Perez (.390), Michael Daniel (.360, 20 home runs, 82 RBIs), Bobby Carlsen (.355, six home runs, 58 RBIs) and Mitch Simons (.350, 11 home runs, 55 RBIs). Oklahoma State made only one error in four regional games.

Georgia

Record: 48-18

Coach: Steve Webber, 10th year

Conference finish: Second in the Southeastern

How got here: Won Northeast Regional

Ranking: Fifth by Collegiate Baseball-ESPN, eighth by Baseball America

Comments: After losing to Rutgers, 4-3, on Sunday, the Bulldogs came back to beat Rutgers, 20-9, to win the regional. Georgia has an outstanding first baseman in Brian Jester, who is batting .391 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs. The other top hitters are shortstop J.R. Showalter (.344, 14 home runs, 18 doubles, 71 RBIs), designated hitter/relief pitcher Tracy Wildes (.328, six home runs, 33 RBIs) and left fielder Ray Suples (.318, nine home runs, 45 RBIs). Right fielder Bruce Chick has 12 home runs and 62 RBIs, and third baseman Jeff Cooper has 12 home runs and 56 RBIs. The team has two solid starters in left-hander Dave Fleming, who is 11-5 with a 3.04 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 139 innings, and right-hander Mike Rebhan, who is 11-5 with a 3.31 ERA. The third starter is left-hander Stan Payne, who is 6-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Georgia was swept by Louisiana State in a three-game series this season but won two out of three games against Mississippi State.

Mississippi State

Record: 49-19

Coach: Ron Polk, 15th year

Conference finish: Third in the Southeastern

How got here: Won South II Regional

Ranking: Sixth by Collegiate Baseball-ESPN and Baseball America

Comments: The Bulldogs will be making their fourth College World Series appearance thanks to their ability to win close games. Mississippi State beat Florida State, 11-8, to advance to the regional title game. After losing to the Seminoles, 11-9, the Bulldogs came back to defeat Florida State, 4-3, in the deciding game. First baseman Tommy Raffo leads the team with a .364 average, 13 home runs, 19 doubles and 67 RBIs. Outfielder John Cohen is batting .333 with eight home runs, 19 doubles and 69 RBIs, and infielder Burke Masters is hitting .328 with five home runs, 11 doubles and 44 RBIs. Masters hit .636 (14 for 22) during the regional with two home runs and seven RBIs. The team’s top three starters are Bobby Reed (15-2, 2.93 ERA, 89 strikeouts), Chris George (9-5, 4.75 ERA) and Tracy Jones (7-5, 3.90 ERA), and the Bulldogs have two good relief pitchers in Chuck Daniel (5-2, six saves, 2.72 ERA) and Jon Harden (5-0, three saves, 2.20 ERA).

Cal State Fullerton

Record: 36-21

Coach: Larry Cochell, third year

Conference finish: First in the Big West

How got here: Won Central Regional

Ranking: Fourth by Collegiate Baseball-ESPN, ninth by Baseball America

Comments: The Titans, making their sixth College World Series appearance, won national championships in 1979 and 1984. Pitching and defense carried Fullerton in the regional, where the Titans beat host Texas twice, 5-2 and 3-0. Sophomore right-hander James Popoff, who won the opening playoff game against Old Dominion, pitched a complete-game, four-hitter against Texas in the championship game. Senior right-hander Sam Colarusso won the first game over Texas, and junior left-hander Huck Flener went the distance on an eight-hitter to defeat Creighton. Led by second baseman Mate Borgogno and shortstop Kevin Farlow, Fullerton made just one error in four regional games. Fullerton, which made 125 errors in 1989, has 66 errors this season for a .971 fielding percentage. Left-fielder Rich Gonzales leads the team with a .383 average, five home runs and 42 RBIs, Borgogno is batting .376 with 16 doubles and 54 RBIs, and freshman third baseman Phil Nevin is batting .361 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. Catcher Matt Hattabaugh, who hit three home runs in the regular season, hit two in the regional.

The Citadel

Record: 45-12

Coach: Chal Port, 26th year

Conference finish: First in the Southern Conference

How got here: Won Atlantic Regional

Ranking: Eighth by Collegiate Baseball-ESPN, 20th by Baseball America

Comments: The Bulldogs, who shocked Miami, 6-2 and 4-1, in the regional are making their first College World Series appearance. The Citadel, which won 26 consecutive games from Feb. 18 to March 26, also is the first military academy to play in the College World Series. The Bulldogs have the lowest team batting average (.292) in the eight-team field but have the second-best team ERA (3.67). The team’s top two pitchers are sophomore right-hander Ken Britt (10-1, 1.97 ERA, 62 strikeouts, five complete games) and senior left-hander Richard Shirer (8-1, 2.77 ERA, five complete games). Billy Baker (8-2, 4.34 ERA) and Brad Stowell (5-3, 5.50 ERA) also won games in the regional, and Baker is one of the team’s top hitters with a .316 average, seven home runs and 59 RBIs. Anthony Jenkins hit .600 in the tournament to earn regional most outstanding player honors and is now batting .403 with 15 home runs, 14 doubles and 67 RBIs.

Georgia Southern

Record: 50-17

Coach: Jack Stallings, 15th year

Conference finish: First in Trans-America Athletic

How got here: Won Midwest Regional

Ranking: Seventh by Collegiate Baseball-ESPN, 11th by Baseball America

Comments: The Eagles outlasted defending national champion Wichita State, 4-3, in the 13 innings in the first round of the regional and later won it with a 5-4 victory over UCLA and a 6-5 win over South Alabama. Hard-throwing sophomore right-hander Joey Hamilton, who earned regional most valuable player honors by winning the last two games, leads the nation in victories with 18. He is 18-3 with a 3.03 ERA and 134 strikeouts. Senior right-hander Peter Bouma is 10-2 with a 3.65 ERA, and junior right-hander Scott Ryder is 11-8 with a 4.26 ERA and 126 strikeouts. The team’s top batter is catcher Rob Fitzpatrick, who is hitting .382 with 21 home runs, 16 doubles and 63 RBIs. Freshman right fielder Todd Green is batting .351 with 26 home runs, 18 doubles and 75 RBIs; sophomore outfielder Mike Miller is hitting .331 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs, and junior first baseman Mike Yuro is batting .368 with six home runs, 16 doubles and 39 RBIs.